Gums (Sinful Mermaid) Review

Distributor: Sinful Mermaid Edition Details: Softcore Version DVD Movie Specs: Genres: Golden Age Classic, Feature Film, Comedy, Softcore Run Time: 66 minutes Rated: X Release Year: 1976 Director: Robert J. Kaplan Written by: Paul E. Cohen (as Paul Cohen), Robert J. Kaplan, Sam Cohen Cast: Brother Theodore, Terri Hall, R. Bolla (as Richard Lair), Jody Maxwell, Crystal Sync (as Rachel McCallister), Paul Styles, Ian Morley, Mark Carvel (as Marc Carvel), Zack Norman, Edward Krane (as Ed Krane), Ras Kean, Michael Sullivan, Steve Kraus, Leroy, Rick, Steve Corney Release Specs: Audio: English Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono Subtitles: none Video: Widescreen, 1.78:1 (anamorphic) Video Format: NTSC Format: DVD Regional Code (for DVD/Blu-ray): 1 (North America) Number of discs: 1

Gums is a madcap and zany adult comedy that could have only come from the adult film environment that was the 70s. For a brief moment in time adult films almost went mainstream and due to the obvious budget that went into Gums, this was clearly one of the films that saddled the line. Gums is a spoof of Jaws, that came out the year prior. Jaws, however, never gave us a movie with a killer blowjob giving mermaid, Brother Theodore as a Nazi, and cum spurting puppets.

The story in Gums has Lance Sterling's (Edward Krane) cock washing ashore at Great Head's beach. Sheriff Rooster Cockswain (Paul Styles) and Mayor Ike White (Ian Morley) discover, with the help of Dr. Sy Smegman (R. Bolla) and his blow-up doll Judy, that their beach is the victim of a lovelorn mermaid (Terri Hall). A bounty of $500 is offered for the mermaid but Nazi Captain Carl Clitorus (Brother Theodore) shows up and offers to catch the mermaid for oil.

The story is every bit as wacky as the description makes it sound. Especially Brother Theodore who, one can only assume, goes on several unscripted stream of consciousness rants throughout the film. The story is entertaining and more complex than one often finds in an adult parody film. The story is backed up by decent production values, above those typically found in adult films. The film utilizes a plethora of locations, apparently in New York and Florida according to the end credits, actually features underwater photography, and manages to mix in, what one must assume is stock footage, well to create a nice looking film. Terri Hall's mermaid appears in human form, not as a stereotypical mermaid, but that is explained by the film.

For the last seven minutes of the film, the cast is replaced by puppets, with the exception of Terri Hall. This is all part of an elaborate joke and provides a way for the ending of the film to work within the limitations of the film's budget. The end credits run with puppets, and one for Terri Hall's mermaid now, singing. The film's score is done by Brad Fiedel, who went on to score the first two films in The Terminator franchise and True Lies among many others, is surprisingly generic sounding.

As for the sex scenes, unfortunately, the only version this reviewer has screened is the softcore version, which doesn't contain any sex scenes. Despite being released in a hardcore X-rated version and a softcore version apparently no softcore sex footage was shot for the film and judging from the differences in the runtime there was only about 13 minutes of hardcore footage in the hardcore version. Instead, a small segment of the hardcore footage is shown with items or text over the offending part of the image like a lobster or a stick of dynamite or the words “Kosher for Passover” or the word “Reject.”

Overall, Gums takes a wacky and zany story combines it with humor — some very un-PC — and some good acting to make an enjoyable adult film that is well worth seeking out for fans of the genre. Sadly, the softcore version is the only release available right now, so until the full hardcore version comes out, we are stuck with this one.

Sinful Mermaid has done an acceptable job with their release of Gums. Gums was released in both hardcore and softcore versions originally. This release only contains the 66-minute softcore version and not the 79-minute hardcore version. Gums is presented in the anamorphic widescreen aspect ratio of 1.78:1 in 480i. Gums was shot on film and a film print appears to have been used for this release. The picture is less than stellar though with washed out colors, grain, artifacts, and print damage present throughout the presentation. The picture quality isn't great but it is watchable.

Gums is presented with an English Dolby Digital 2.0 monaural audio track which appears to be in great condition. The dialog is clear and easy to understand and there were no noticeable blemishes with the audio track.

Sinful Mermaid has only included a few extras on the release; none of which relate to Gums, sadly. There are three nudie-cutie loops included identified only as “Lusty Lady,” “Busty Babe,” and “Natural Blonde.”

Gums is cheesy and corny adult comedy that only could have come out of the environment of the 1970s. An adult spoof of Jaws, Gums manages to provide humor and a story that is truly unique to the film. Where else can you find a killer cock sucking mermaid, Brother Theodore playing a Nazi, and cum shooting puppets? If you are a fan of the more bizarre comedic side of adult cinema, Gums is a must see. Unfortunately, Sinful Mermaid's release of Gums only brings us the softcore version of the film and offers a poor picture with good audio.

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